Flash Player Alternative for Mac In 2023

These days, flash files and SWF files are not common enough to be compatible with most video players, and the flash format itself is no longer able to be played by the average web browser since Adobe stopped supporting it. Because of this, many people who want to view flash videos or play flash games are in search of an alternative flash player. Regardless of what your needs are, here are a few different options if you’re looking for a flash player alternative for Mac.

Finding the Best Flash Player Alternative for Mac

Option #1: Elmedia Player Free

Elmedia Player Free is the best Mac flash player alternative for users who want to play both flash videos and flash games. Not only can Elmedia Player Free open SWF files and FLV files, both of which are commonly associated with the flash format, it can also allow inputs from the user, making it both a video player and a flash game host. This is one reason why Elmedia is a strong flash player alternative for Chrome, a browser that sometimes blocks flash content.

In addition to these flash benefits, Elmedia Player Free is generally our pick for the best video player for Mac in any other context. Elmedia plays videos smoothly and in high definition, supporting videos all the way up to 8K quality. Because flash videos and other content are often simple in nature, you can be sure that Elmedia will consistently support fast and high-performance playback, whether you’re watching some animations or speed-running your favorite flash game. This makes it a preferable alternative to in-browser solutions that often lag or result in a lower framerate.

Option #2: Ruffle

Ruffle is a Flash player alternative for Mac that will let you both view flash animations and videos and play flash games with the proper support. It also synchronizes with SuperNova for some content, allowing you to stream from your browser to your desktop Ruffle player if desired.

The Ruffle project is open-source and largely supported by volunteers, meaning it will remain free and receive updates as they become necessary, though you may have to wait longer than usual for those updates to come your way. Ruffle does occasionally suffer from problems related to lack of support for coding found in flash game or video files, resulting in some control or visual issues when it comes time to play a game or video.

Option #3: Fig Player

Fig Player is a free media player app that is available from your Mac’s App Store, making it both reliable and subject to constant updates when needed. It also has full video support for lots of different file formats, including FLV and SWF flash files. While Fig Player won’t open game files as executables, you can enjoy any of your favorite flash animations or videos in Fig Player as long as you have the pertinent files on your hard drive.

Fig Player itself is fairly simple and straightforward to use, possessing all of the options you would look for in a media player–playlist creation, an equalizer, screencasting, and so on–but it also has some unique features that allow you to do things like open a video from a URL or recognize text in media while it’s being played. These are small quality of life options that make Fig Player a surprisingly robust option if you’re looking for a multipurpose media player.

Option #4: Lunascape

Lunascape is a flash-enabled browser that can serve as a full alternative to Adobe Flash Player for Firefox. Rather than requiring a video player or emulator download, this browser supports flash content right within whichever window you’re using, making it easy to go back to old or unsupported websites and pick up where you left off when flash was phased out.

Because Lunascape is an app from the Internet that also serves as a browser, Mac users will have to go to the app installation folder itself and select the option to run it from the context menu the first time they try to open it; otherwise, Lunascape will not be able to run due to macOS’ strict security measures.

Option #5: SuperNova Player

SuperNova Player is actually a browser extension that acts as an alternative to Adobe Flash Player for Chrome and other modern browsers. Not only does this negate an antiquated Adobe Flash download, it also means you can play SWF content–most commonly associated with flash games–directly in your browser, almost as though the flash support you’re missing never left.

SuperNova also has a desktop player that can stream games from the browser extension, though the player is only available for Windows operating systems. The support page for SuperNova does note that some flash content will not run without using the player; however, the majority of Internet flash content that previously ran the risk of being lost forever is accessible if you have the extension installed in your browser.

Option #6: BlueMaxima’s Flashpoint

Flashpoint is an Adobe Flash Player alternative that allows users to play flash game files directly on the desktop. This means that you can play all of the best flash games you’re used to without having to deal with a slow browser or a Wi-Fi connection, making Flashpoint a good choice for a true flash emulator on your Mac.

Since Flashpoint is currently only available as a demo for Mac users, there are some features that may be forthcoming; we will cover those when they become available. For now, you can consider Flashpoint a worthwhile flash player alternative if you’re looking for a modern flash gaming or viewing experience, at least as long as the content you want to open is part of Flashpoint’s library at this time.

Option #7: IINA

IINA is, primarily, a media player that supports a wide variety of video file formats while serving as a visual–and functional–upgrade to macOS’ very own QuickTime player. Among the file formats supported by IINA are flash files, including SWF and FLV. It should be noted that IINA does not have the tools needed to play actual flash games, but if your goal is to view flash animations and videos by themselves, it’s a strong option.

One of the things that sets IINA apart from its video player peers is its style and attention to detail regarding macOS visuals and function. IINA makes full use of the MacBook Pro Touch Bar, responds to your system’s visual settings for light or dark mode, and resembles QuickTime in most senses; however, it also adds the option to create a playlist, making it an upgrade from the default Mac player.

What You Need to Know About Choosing the Best Flash Player for Your Needs

Naturally, your needs regarding the type of flash content you want to view or play will dictate the type of player you end up selecting. If you’re looking for a video player that will also serve as an all-in-one flash emulator for SWF files that you have on-hand, then Elmedia Player Free is your best bet across the board. Flashpoint is another option if you want to be able to play flash games offline but don’t want to download a bunch of random SWF files, but keep in mind that it is only available as a demo for Mac users for now.

However, if you don’t have the flash files that you want to play already saved to your computer, using something like Lunascape or SuperNova to view in-browser flash content will be the best option for you. These web-based solutions are available for a variety of platforms and require no further downloads, but remember that browser-based flash games and content may suffer from performance issues.

Conclusion

While many web pages that used to host classic flash content did migrate to a format that allows you to continue to access that same content, the fact remains that decades of games and videos could potentially be erased without access to retroactive flash players and viewers. Sure, in-browser flash support for your favorite old-school sites may be dead, but with the tools on this list, you have plenty of options to play your favorite flash videos–or even flash games–right from your Mac’s desktop or browser.